Attaining some degree to a specific course it's more like honing your skills. You wouldn't get that diploma without passing an exam, which determine if you are qualify to graduate. Knowing that you passed and graduated when you apply for a jobs, for sure companies would prefer employees that have educational background especially if the position you're taking requires knowledge and skills, that some would be needing years to achieve. Well, in work there's always a training days so you would be familiar on how things work in your job it's like a demo, so they could observe if you're fit to the role. And interviews leave impression to the HR so you'll have to be prepared for random questions.
Some companies may emphasize a diploma as a requirement for applying for a job because they create training courses when new employees are hired and without the required diploma the job is not ours. Companies have their own criteria for accepting new employees and if certain positions are being applied for, there are times when without a diploma we cannot apply. Education is not a place to hone skills because we learn about theory, unless you go to vocational school which focuses more on practice. Education is indeed a place to study, but it may not necessarily provide someone with a decent job.
Apart from diplomas, skills and experience are three things that many companies look for when recruiting new employees. That's why there are many people in the area where I live who don't work at companies because they don't fit the criteria they are looking for. On the other hand, we prefer to build our own business, even though it is small, because we don't need a diploma to develop it.